Rally Poland: Stobart M-Sport final leg summary

Solberg snatches perfect Polish podium for Stobart
The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team have had a fantastic finish to Rally
Poland, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, as Henning
Solberg secured his second podium finish of the ...

Solberg snatches perfect Polish podium for Stobart

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team have had a fantastic finish to Rally
Poland, the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, as Henning
Solberg secured his second podium finish of the season. With Matthew
Wilson and Krzysztof Holowczyc both scoring points, it is a result
which sees the Cumbrian team break through the 250 manufacturer points
threshold since joining the championship in 2006.

Solberg scored two stage victories on his way to a dramatic third place;
the third rally in a row that the team has taken overall stage wins.
Meanwhile Matthew Wilson added good points to his championship standing
with fifth place and Krzysztof Holowczyc surpassed his best ever WRC
performance with sixth. He made history scoring Poland's first ever
points in the WRC drivers' championship; a feat which earned him the Abu
Dhabi Spirit of the Rally award.

In one of the most exciting rallies of the season so far, both the
vast crowds of spectators and the crews revelled in the incredibly
fast, flowing roads around the Mazurian Lake District in northern
Poland. Changeable weather conditions contributed to the challenge for
the drivers on the sandy, tree-lined roads with the surface becoming
extremely slippery in the wet.

A capacity 10,000 crowd had set the tone for the weekend as they turned
out to watch Thursday night's Super Special stage kick off the rally
in Mikolajki. Solberg and co-driver Cato Menkerud began their battle
with Petter Solberg which would last throughout the rally, the younger
brother snatching the honours. Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin got the
better of Russian youngster Evegeny Novikov, while Holowczyc thrilled
the fanatical Polish fans finishing just outside the top ten.

After overcoming set-up problems on the early stages of day one, Solberg
posted some scorching times on the second pass of the three-stage loop
along the coast of Sniardwy Lake, taking fifth place and homing in on
his brother one place ahead. Wilson also had a strong day, moving up
to seventh and staying in touch with fast-charging Sebastien Ogier one
place ahead. Holowczyc and co-driver Lukasz Kurzeja, on a rare outing
in a WRC car, found their rhythm as the day went on, ending the day in
ninth and just outside the points.

Day two took the 47 starting crews east and north of Rally HQ in
Mikolajki for the longest day of the rally, 149.44kms over two
passes of a three-stage loop. With further changes made to his car
overnight, Solberg lifted his game again to hunt down his sibling's
Citroen Xsara, aiming to maintain familial advantage in the
drivers' championship.

It turned out to be an epic battle, with Ogier also vying for fourth
place, and the initiative changed hands constantly throughout the day
with Solberg eventually pushed down to sixth at the end of the day, but
with just 10 seconds separating all three drivers.

Wilson posted consistently strong times to maintain his place in the
points but had to have one eye on the car behind him as Holowczyc moved
into eighth place, using all of his local knowledge to try and claim
his first WRC points finish. But, not for the first time this season,
Solberg saved his best for last as he moved up the field again on Sunday
morning.

On the first stage of the morning he moved back up to fifth and
continued his excellent run taking victory on the next two stages,
closing the gap on Ogier and then taking fourth place as the Frenchman
suffered engine problems. The Norwegian gained a further place in
dramatic fashion as BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Jari-Matti Latvala crashed out
from second place on the closing Super Special Stage. That incident
elevated Wilson to fifth, a reward for another weekend of mature and
consistent driving.

After a steady morning, which had seen team mate Holowczyc cut his
advantage, he turned up the pace this afternoon to stay ahead and score
more good points for the team. Holowczyc's sixth capped off a fabulous
weekend for the team.

Other rally news

BP Ford Abu Dhabi took victory for the third rally in a row as Mikko
Hirvonen claimed the top step of the podium but his win was marred by
the performance of Jari-Matti Latvala who crashed off while occupying
second place on the final Super Special stage of the rally handing
second to Citroen's Dani Sordo. His team mate Sebastien Loeb recovered
from his day one crash to take seventh place.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:

"Wow, what an end to the rally, it's very sad for Ford but the podium
is fantastic for me. We have come a long way since Thursday when the
feeling after Shakedown wasn't very good and today the car has been much
better. I've been driving as fast as I can on this rally and really been
pushing hard in the battle with Petter; the fastest stage times we had
today prove just that. We have had a learning weekend and this rally
has some fantastic stages but it's also been very difficult. I've got
the result I wanted, and that helps me maintain my position as the best
non-factory driver in the championship."

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:

"The stages here have been amazing and the number of people here
spectating has just been incredible; they really like their rallying
here in Poland. One of the biggest challenges has been adjusting my
brain to the speed of the stages here and trying to maintain the rhythm
when the type of road changes. It's been really good preparation for
Finland from that respect and it will be a help to have had three days
driving at these speeds. We have taken a lot from this weekend and I
need to just get my notes more consistent to be able to push harder."

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Krzysztof Holowczyc said:

"It's been a fantastic rally and I'm very happy with the result. I have
become the first Polish driver to score a drivers' point and to do it
here on my home rally is a very special feeling; we've also scored our
best WRC finish ever which was a big surprise at the end. I have to
thank the fans, I have never seen so many people and flags and their
energy and the atmosphere has really helped me along. It's five years
since I have driven a WRC car and they have improved so much, this Focus
is incredible and it's helped me to drive in a very clean and precise
way."

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said:

"It has been a really strong performance by the team on the final day
and another podium for Henning after a bizarre last stage. All cars
and crews were in good shape when they needed to push to improve their
position today and I'm especially pleased for Krzysztof to be the first
Pole to score a point in the WRC; it's great that he has done that as a
part of the Stobart team. The rally has been really good preparation for
Finland so things are looking very positive for the next event."

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said:

"It's a surprise, and well-deserved, podium for Henning and we've also
reached 250 points for the Stobart team; I'm really proud of what we
achieved against the best rally teams in the world. The guys have all
done a fantastic job on this new rally and their ever-growing experience
is shining through with more consistent results and stage wins. I must
congratulate Krzysztof on his points and it's great that he's achieved
this as part of our team."